State Lawmakers, Candidate Visit Saint Francis Medical Center
State Reps. John Voss, R-Cape Girardeau; David Dolan, R-Sikeston; Steve Jordan, R-Advance; and Lucas Green, candidate for the state representative in Missouri’s 146th House District, all recently visited Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
During the visit, hospital leaders discussed the challenges of building a robust workforce, including efforts to recruit physicians to the region. They also described the growing issue of patients boarding in the hospital after their acute needs are met because appropriate post-acute placements aren’t available.
In addition, Saint Francis Medical Center administrators emphasized the importance of the 340B Drug Pricing Program in helping patients access medication and receive care, such as cancer treatment, closer to home. Another discussion topic centered on the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a provider tax that hospitals pay to help fund the state’s share of Medicaid payments to hospitals. This tax is the third largest source of state revenue.
This visit was part of the Missouri Hospital Association’s ongoing work to connect legislators with hospital leaders and help policymakers better understand how legislation affects patient care and hospital operations. MHA-member hospitals interested in hosting a legislator visit can contact MHA's governmental relations team for help with scheduling, talking points and logistics.
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 138 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.
